<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>I would still find a way by Fl_utterby</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25938037">I would still find a way</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fl_utterby/pseuds/Fl_utterby'>Fl_utterby</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Percy Jackson and the Olympians &amp; Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops &amp; Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Best Friends, Established Relationship, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Happy Nico, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tourism, Will steals a plot from The Mentalist, social worker! will</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 06:00:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>15,800</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25938037</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fl_utterby/pseuds/Fl_utterby</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"If we hadn't met at the hill that day. If Lou, Cecil, and I hadn't been scouting the enemies, or if you hadn't almost passed out into my arms, do you think we would still have found each other?"</p><p>"You mean if I hadn't saved you from getting your ass kicked from those Romans—" </p><p> </p><p>A bunch of stories in different worlds and different settings. Our favourite death boy and significant annoyance finding each other and falling in love over and over.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo &amp; Will Solace, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>154</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prolouge-ish</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is my first fanfic ever, so I figured Solangelo would be a good place as any to start.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> "Do you think if we hadn't met at the half-blood hill that day, would we still have been together? " </p><p>They have been sorting the mortal medicines in the infirmary for the past hour now. Sorting medicines isn't nearly as fun as cutting bandages, but they have been understaffed since Kayla has gone to spend the holidays with her dad in Canada and Austin had gotten a special permission from Chiron to attend some concert. Besides, Nico cherishes little moments like these- the few, uninterrupted moments of comfort. And silence. </p><p>Silence until now, that is. </p><p>"Technically we didn't meet first at the half-blood hill, remember?" He plays along anyway. </p><p>"Whatever, don't dodge the question."</p><p>"Alright, sorry, what was your question?"</p><p>"If we hadn't met at the hill that day. If Lou, Cecil, and I hadn't been scouting the enemies, or if you hadn't almost passed out into my arms, do you think we would still have found each other?" </p><p>"You mean if I hadn't saved you from getting your ass kicked from those Romans—" </p><p>"—Nicooo. Come on," Will whines, and Nico would be lying if he said he didn't find it adorable. </p><p>"Right, sorry. Yes Will, I think we would've still ended up together," he says without putting much thought into it. He crosses the final item off the list of medicines, and gets up to stretch his arms. "Looks like we're done here. Let's go eat something," Nico extends his right hand to Will. </p><p>Will looks like he wants to say something, but doesn't. Apparently his answer wasn't what Will had wanted to hear, but he doesn't know what else to add. </p><p>Will gives a final look at the inventory and seems satisfied at their work. How Will manages to remember the names of all these medicines he will never understand. Maybe it's a healer thing. Or maybe he gives them dorky nicknames like he does to every single thing. </p><p>
  <em>Kayla, that patient over there needs some swelling-reducing thingy. Looks like you'll have to take some headache remover. Are you sure you took your sore throat eliminator? </em>
</p>
<hr/><p>"What if we weren't demigods?" Will catches him midbite. </p><p>"What?"</p><p>"What if we weren't demigods, just normal teenagers? Do you think we would've found each other?" </p><p>"You're still hung up on that?"</p><p>Will just gives a shrug and tries to act casual, but Nico knows he's trying hard (and failing to some extent) not to show his curiosity. </p><p>Nico wishes Kayla were here right now. Or Austin. Or even Clarisse or Cecil. Anyone who could either distract Will or make fun of him for asking such questions. </p><p>"Yes, Will, I think we would've found each other."</p><p>"But what if you hated me because I was too annoying?" </p><p>"I doubt you could be any more annoying than you are right now," he grumbles in a low voice, which by judging Will's offended '<em>Hey</em>!' and the elbows attacking his ribs, isn't low enough. </p><p>It's not like he wants to disregard Will's queries, but he isn't sure if he understands the question. He's spent all of his demigod life piling regrets upon regrets, and hoarding countless <em>if-onlys</em> and <em>what-ifs</em> only to be cornered by them all at once during the bad days. After all these years, the whole thing is getting pretty exhausting. </p><p>
  <em>Why would he consciously go back to that path and make himself miserable for no reason? </em>
</p><p>He does not want to dwell on what would have happened if they hadn't met or gotten together. The fact that Will's at his side right now, dumping mashed potatoes from his plate to Nico's because '<em>Oh my gods Neeks, this is so good! You have to try this</em>' is enough. He'd much rather focus on his Will, and let the other Nico worry about the Will from those imaginary scenarios. </p><p>But he hopes that they find each other anyway, because he does not want to imagine a world where he wouldn't get to be the reason of Will Solace's smile. </p>
<hr/><p>"What if we hadn't met until we were in our late twenties?" </p><p>"We would've met through an outdated dating site. Now focus on your offense than your defense." </p><p>"What if we were in a fairytale?" </p><p>"Then I'd be the valiant Knight and you'd be the dainty princess and oh, Leo could be the evil fire dragon that I needed to save you from. Less talking, more training." </p><p>"And if I was a girl and you were still gay?"</p><p>"I think you would make a pretty girl. Focus on your sword, <em>idiota</em>. What's next? 'What if we were both straight guys?' "  </p><p>"Oh I wouldn't worry about that Neeks, I think we'd have made great straight guys. We could be one of those bros like Jason and Percy. Like <em>Hey bro, you're looking especially hot today. Wanna make out bro? No homo</em>." </p><p>"..." </p><p>"..." </p><p>"..." </p><p>"What the hell Death boy! I could have gotten seriously injured."</p>
<hr/><p>"But what if we never got to meet? I would be missing one of the most important parts of my life and I wouldn't even know it." </p><p>They have just come back from the campfire<br/>
to Nico’s cabin with Nico practically carrying Will’s weight. Even the fact that Will is half asleep doesn’t stop him from asking questions. </p><p>"Wouldn't you rather focus on the fact that we're both here and this is very much real?" </p><p>"I suppose, yeah," Will concedes finally. They don't talk for a while and lay next to each other on Nico's bed his Cabin. The only sound he can hear is the cackling of the Greek fire. </p><p>"But that's not what is worrying you, is it?" It's not a question. Two years of being close to Will has made him somewhat fluent on 'Will language'. Nico is constantly amazed by the way Will carries himself through the most difficult times, and his calm and collected attitude is contagious. </p><p>But that's not all there is to him. The world looks at him and sees a happy man, with endless optimism and a literal bearer of sunshine. But Will has his own monsters to battle and insecurities; which they rarely see beneath the many layers of easy smile and levity he seems to possess. </p><p>If it were up to him, Nico would have given him the world, but that would be impractical. So he settles for giving him all the love he can and reassuring him every time Will doubts himself. <br/>
 <br/>
"What's this <em>really</em> about, Will?" </p><p>Will stilll looks reluctant to speak any further. But he doesn't have to, not really. Nico waits for some time and when Will still doesn't say anything, he continues. </p><p>"I don't know that if things were different, we would still have ended up together. Our stories wouldn't have been the same, and we would have probably changed along with it. So there's no way of knowing what would have happened." Nico tucks a strand of Will's hair at the back of his ears as he says, "But I can say with absolute certainty, that I wouldn't ever give up until I found you." </p><p>"How can you be so sure?" His voice is soft, so soft that Nico wonders if he imagining it. But when he looks at Will's half opened eyes— his beautiful, tired, vulnerable eyes— he  doesn't need to hear the words. </p><p>"Hmm... Let's see", he pulls Will closer yet not so close so he can see those eyes, "We were born in different countries and different centuries, and I met you at a time when I wasn't even supposed to exist. When we properly met, I almost decapitated you and had the biggest urge to kick you, and I was literally melting into a puddle of darkness. But,” Will's expression is a mixture of amused and fond and a little nostalgic, and Nico can no longer resist smiling. "But I still found you, didn't I?"</p><p>"Hmm...Yeah." The answer seems to satisfy Will for now, and his shoulders visibly relax. He closes whatever distance that stood between them and buries his head against Nico's chest. </p><p>"You wanted to kick me back then?" Will’s voice is muffled and tired and amused, like he can't believe Nico would ever want to kick him. Even if he did just that at sword practice today. </p><p>Turns out he doesn't have to answer, because the only sounds he can hear now are Will's soft snores and the Greek fire. In the peace and serenity that only the nights like this can provide, Nico lets himself wonder about what Will had asked. </p><p>
  <em>What if they had been in a different world with different stories and different lives? How would they still have loved each other? </em>
</p><p>Will's hands reach out for his in the dark and he lets out a contented sigh as their hands link together. If Nico can stress enough, he swears he'll be able to hear Will's dreamy smile. Somehow, loving him in a hundred or even a thousand worlds doesn't seem difficult. </p><p>
  <em>Eh. I'd find a way. Over and over again. </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Your hair, your eyes, your smile / Coffee shop</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Will puts a hand through his hair, gives him a smile, and looks at Nico with those blue eyes. Nico falls in love.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><em>You look like shit </em>isn't the first thing Nico wants to hear from Percy (or anyone for that matter) as soon as he enters in the coffee shop where he works. If he had enough energy, he would have given Percy his signature death glare. But he doesn't, so he settles for sarcasm. </p><p>"And <em>you</em> are as charming as ever. Good afternoon to you too Perce," Nico says with as much bite as he can muster. </p><p>Nico doesn't need Percy's input to know that he looks like shit. He had spent more than three quarters of last night proofreading and giving final touches to his assignment on Greek history. Then he had an early morning class and an impromptu meeting for a group project which, as all the group meetings go, was a mayhem. The meeting had drained him much more than any late nights ever could. </p><p>And now he has to come to work so he can drain himself further <em>and </em>take Percy's shit in the process. </p><p>"I don't get paid enough for tolerating you," he huffs as he ties his apron and gets ready to take the next customer's order. </p><p>"Well you'd get more job satisfaction if you didn't spend half your time dreaming about your dreamy boy." </p><p>"Shut up Jackson, I'm not dreaming about Will!" He's not, really. </p><p>"I didn't even mention his name, now why would you assume I meant him?" Percy has his most innocent-slash-devious smile as he regards Nico for a moment and goes on to take an order for a teenager. It takes Nico all the restraint in the world to keep himself from whacking Percy on the head in front of the customers.</p><p>The teenager blushes as Percy slides her order over the counter with a sweet smile. <em>I can't believe I used to be that teenager once, </em>he thinks. </p><p>"You can take the day off if you want. I'll cover your shift for you. Like I said, you look like death in an apron," Percy turns to him as the teenager is on her way. </p><p>"And like I said, it's always a pleasure to hear that." Taking a day off does seem nice. But it wouldn't be fair to let Percy cover his shift when he looks a little tired too. </p><p>"Take the rest of your day off Nico, I mean it. Take Will on a date. Go watch a movie or something. You can repay me the favour some other day if you like. No harm done." </p><p>"Are you sure?" Percy flashes a smile and gives him a thumbs up. "Thanks Perce." </p>
<hr/><p>He feels slightly fresh after washing his face with cold water eating a chocolate croissant. He could go home and catch up on his sleep,  but doesn't feel like it. Maybe he should follow Percy's idea and take Will somewhere on a date. </p><p>An involuntary smile presents itself on his face as he finds himself thinking about Will. Evidently Percy's earlier comment on dreaming about his dreamy boy wasn't far off the mark. </p><p>Nico isn't the type to go soft on a stupid boy and let the stupid boy occupy more than half his mind. But since he's exhausted, he's allowed to indulge in his musings. He's been dating Will for a mere two weeks now, and their relation still feels so delicate. They aren't exactly walking walking in eggshells around each other, but he's constantly worried that he might do something stupid and scare Will off forever. </p><p>"You'll get more comfortable with each other after some time," Percy had reassured him some days ago. "Annabeth and I had been best friends for five years before dating, but we were still awkward around each other for the first month into our relationship when everything felt new."</p><p>That makes Nico feel better even if Percy was probably lying about his experience, because Nico can't imagine Percy and Annabeth awkward around each other. He is yet to see two people more suited for each other than them. The fact used to fill his heart with jealousy and loneliness some years ago, but now he can't help but be thankful that they found something so beautiful together. Watching them gives him hope that someday, he will too. </p><p>Preferably with a blond, blue-eyed medical student who likes to wrap his left wrist in a bandage even when he isn't hurt. </p>
<hr/><p>The bells above the door jingle and startle him out of his thoughts. From the corner of his eye (because he isn't some creep who full on stares at people), he can see Will Solace walk in and seat himself at the far left corner table. He's wearing the same light blue hoodie that he was wearing when they first met. </p><p>The first thing he had noticed about Will was his hair. Objectively speaking, it wouldn't be considered exceptional by any means- it's blond and curly, and is always a thumb short of falling over his shoulders. But Nico loves it anyway because it's always so untamed and ruffled and all over the place. The individual stubborn strands of hair fall over his eyes and he has to wonder if Will sees the world through his eyes, filtered through the strands of hair. If he wore glasses, the hair would make him look like an undercover villain in some anime who's always plotting something evil.  </p><p>The day they met had coincided with Annabeth's birthday and they had planned a quiet celebration in the shop after the closing hours. He had never seen Will there or even heard of him, but apparently Will had attended middle school with Percy and Annabeth. Nico had been annoyed when Will had gotten a last-minute invitation to the birthday because <em>It was supposed to be just close friends Percy.</em> </p><p>If anyone had told him that day that he would come to adore Will so much, he would have assaulted their face with the birthday cake. Then he would have regretted assaulting their face with the birthday cake because said birthday cake had tasted<em> so good</em>. </p><p>Nico only lets himself watch Will properly when Will's searching eyes find him. He smiles and waves, and Nico feels something warm in his heart as he waves back. </p><p>Will's smile was the second thing Nico had noticed about him, because Will is rarely without one. He has a nice smile, and it comes naturally to him, almost with practiced ease. But after months of watching him smile (not creepily, mind you), Nico has learnt to see that it's mostly the same routine smile, and there's always something missing. He wonders what that might be, but doesn't dwell too much on it, because lacking or not, it's still a beautiful smile. </p><p>It's even more beautiful when Nico is able to make him smile, which doesn't require much effort, but it makes him fall for the guy a little more every time. <br/>
<br/>
Will had been the one to ask Nico out on a date two weeks ago. They had become close in the past months and, as constantly pointed out by Percy, had been flirting back and forth so much it was becoming quite painful to watch. They have only been on 3 dates in total, and every date has been special and perfect. </p><p>Except their last date when Will had taken him for dinner at Delphi's. Lou Ellen, one of Will's best friends, was the one to wait on their table. She had been...something. Let's say she could make Percy's investment in Nico's relationship with Will look tame. Judging from Will's embarrassed face, he knew he wasn't the only one who thought so. <br/>
<br/>
The third thing he had noticed were his eyes. Nico thinks it had taken him so long to notice them because they're always caged by the strands of hair, otherwise there's no way he would have missed them. His eyes are a mixture of dark and light blue, leaning towards the lighter shade; just like the sky clearing after the rain. They're brilliant eyes, even without the thousands of emotions mindlessly floating around them. </p><p>At times Nico gets to see his eyes from up close, like when he's taking Will's order or when Will absently runs a hand through his hair or—this one is new— the few moments before their lips meet and Nico has to try very hard to remember his own name. That's when he comes to a realization that his eyes hold captive the part of sencerity that's missing from his smile. </p><p>Nico walks up to him and Will stands up to greet him with a kiss. Kissing Will is a feeling he knows he will never get enough of. The first time they had kissed following Will's whisper of <em>Can I kiss you now?, </em>Nico had known he could very easily get used to it. And thank god Will had leaned back for air when he did because if it was up to Nico, he would never have remembered to let himself pull away from Will's lips, breathing be damned. </p><p>"So, the regular?" he asks as soon as he finds his bearings and his voice. Never mind that he's not supposed to be working right now. <br/>
<br/>
"Actually, I was thinking maybe we could get coffee somewhere else."</p><p>"Tired of our coffee already?" he can't help but tease, and counts the slight blush on Will's cheeks as a success. </p><p>
  <em>Flustered Will is so damn cute. </em>
</p><p>"No! I just meant... There's a shop that opened only a few days ago, we could try their coffee." </p><p><em>And pretty. And adorable. </em><br/>
<br/>
"I mean, not that I was implying you make bad coffee or anything... I just... Ahh shit never mind." <br/>
<br/>
<em>And oh so eloquent. <br/>
</em><br/>
Nico can't help but smile. He knows he should probably say something to put Will out of his misery before he disappears into the imaginary hole he seems to have dug for himself, but Will looks <em>so cute </em>with those flustered cheeks. So it's a battle between watching his boyfriend<em> (is that what they are?)</em> crash and burn and showing some basic human decency. Oh well. <br/>
<br/>
After a few excruciating minutes (for Will, that is; for Nico they were merely amusing, if he can ignore the frantic beating of his own heart), he seems to have gathered his words, and speaks as if he's rehearsed it multiple times in his head.<br/>
<br/>
"I just wanted to get coffee and spend time with you where I don't have to see Percy give us a thumbs up everytime I so much as smile at you," he says as he vaguely tilts his heat towards the counter. Nico knows that if he looked at the counter right now, Will's point would probably be proven. </p><p>Will runs a hand through his hair again. </p><p>
  <em>The first thing Nico had noticed about him was his hair— the disheveled mass that unwittingly mirrored the state of his mind. </em>
</p><p>"I'd like that. But on one condition." <br/>
<br/>
"Yeah? And what might that be?" He's more relaxed now, and has his most brilliant smile on. Maybe he's biased, but Nico thinks that even for a constantly smiling guy like Will, he hasn't smiled like that in a long time. <br/>
<br/>
<em>The second thing he had noticed was his smile, and he had to wonder if it was always that genuine. </em><br/>
<br/>
With a smile like that directed to him, he's surprised he hasn't already melted into a puddle. But he has to say something, if only to gain an upper hand. <br/>
<br/>
"On the condition that we don't have any of our future dates at Delphi's, at least not on the days when Lou's working. I love her, but her enthusiasm scares me." <br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, that's probably for the best." His laughter is as sweet as his smile, and Nico has to physically restrain his cheek muscles from grinning widely and giving up his upper hand. <br/>
<br/>
Will doesn't say anything after that, his blue eyes meeting Nico's dark brown. Nico searches for the missing part of sincerity in his blue eyes and finds much more than he expected. Their eyes meet and converse between themselves for a long time, having made up a secret language that even Nico cannot seem to understand. Yet. <br/>
<em><br/>
The third thing he had noticed were his eyes. He saw those eyes, and somehow, everything fell into place. </em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Love potions and hate confessions / Hogwarts</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This isn't an enemies to lovers or a love/hate story, but hate is a recurring theme here.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"I hate you."<br/><br/>"..." <br/><br/>"I hate you."<br/><br/>"No you don't."<br/><br/>"I <em>really</em> hate you."<br/><br/>"You <em>really</em> don't, Will."<br/><br/>"How would you know?"<br/><br/>"Well, for starters, your head is resting on my shoulder."<br/><br/>"This proves nothing," Will huffs, but doesn't lift his head from Nico's shoulder. It feels warm and safe and Will doesn't have anything better to do anyway. He hears a soft chuckle escape from Nico, and for a minute forgets why he hates him. <br/><br/>And then he remembers. <br/><br/>"You made me miss my weekly musical gathering." He tilts his head up to Nico and tries to glare at him— he really does— but just looking at that stupid Hufflepuff makes him so weak.<br/><br/>Merlin, Will really hates him. <br/><br/>Every Thursday night, the Ravenclaws gather in the common room and have a night dedicated to music— wizarding and muggle music alike. They catch up on the old and new songs. Once someone had charmed the bust of Rowena Ravenclaw to sing an upbeat rendition of '<em>My heart will go on</em>'. It was simultaneously the most and the least Ravenclaw thing to do. <br/><br/>He had a good night planned ahead of him tonight. Until Nico had landed himself into detention to write stupid lines and somehow dragged Will too. <br/><br/>Thursday nights are his second favourite nights in Hogwarts. His favourite nights are the stolen moments with Nico at the Astronomy Tower, the uninterrupted stretch of the night when he manages to smuggle Will into his dorm, the late night revisions for finals with Nico. Basically any moment— waking or otherwise— with his special guy. <br/><br/>He absolutely refuses to acknowledge that this also includes detentions with Nico. <br/><br/>"Don't you mean I <em>saved you from 3 hours worth of boredom</em>?" <br/><br/>Will doesn't dignify him with an answer, choosing to do the mature thing and sticks his tongue out at Nico. <br/><br/>Thinking back to the incident, Will isn't sure how he let himself be dragged into Chiron's office and steal the Ashwinder eggs for Nico. Last thing he remembered was saying a definite '<em>No</em>' to Nico and Nico saying <em>'Please Will' </em>and Will replying with a hesitant '<em>No</em>' and Nico holding his hands and saying '<em>Please baby, for me</em>?' and Will saying—<br/><br/><em>Oh. Right. That's how. </em><br/><br/>He had even forgotten to ask why Nico needed the Ashwinder eggs. Or why he had needed Will to retrieve them. <br/><br/>"At least now will you tell me why we were raiding Professor Chiron's office?" <br/><br/>"Because we didn't know the password to Zeus's office?" he says without missing a beat. <br/><br/>Usually Will's the one to initiate things like these and Nico is his impulse control. Nico doesn't simply break the rules, and all the teachers love him for it. But he knows that Nico's obedience for rules has little to do with his love for them and more with his desire to fit in the school and please the teachers. Will has told him a hundred times that he has nothing to prove to anyone and would love him just the way he is, but some scars aren't as easy to heal. Or forget. <br/><br/>He's spent all these years being treated as an outcast for no reason other than that his ancestors once practiced Dark Arts. The years following his sister's death had become an emotional roller-coaster for him, except the roller-coaster only went further and further down. After six years of attending Hogwarts Nico has finally started feeling like he's got a home in here. Like the horrors of his past will never leave him, but they won't define him either. <br/><br/>His rule abiding would have been amusing if it wasn't so heartbreaking. And if he wasn't annoyed right now, Nico's newfound boldness would have been endearing. Almost. </p><hr/><p><br/>Will is pulled out of his thoughts as he feels a tug on his sleeves and watches Nico come closer to him. <br/><br/>He glares (unsuccessfully) but doesn't stop Nico, and Nico takes that a signal to place himself onto Will's lap. He wraps his arms around Will and kisses on his right cheek <em>once, twice, </em>then on the left <em>once, twice, </em>then on the forhead <em>once, but lingering, </em>and then... practically every inch of his face except his mouth. Will knows he's doing this on purpose and despises him for it. His hands want to grab Nico's face and crash their lips but the mind keeps screaming <em>no, do not show weakness, don't give him any more ammunition. </em><br/><br/>Just when Nico has decided he's held out enough and moves to kiss him properly on the lips, they're sprung apart by the sound of the footsteps approaching. Mr. D enters the room with something that looks suspiciously like red wine. <em>Did he bribe some muggleborn student into smuggling wine? <br/></em><br/>"Mr. D! It's—" <br/><br/>"—Not what it looks like? Save it Mr. Wallace Shoelace. I couldn't care less." His disinterested tone tells them that he couldn't in fact, care less, and he resists answering <em>It's Will Solace, actually</em>. Mr. D sits on the desk opposite to them and that's the last he acknowledges either one of them. <br/><br/>"I'll be back in a bit," he says after finishing his sixth batch of wine from the self-filling glass. "Do not touch the glass Mr. Winter Solstice. You too, Mr. Di Angeles." And then he's gone. <br/><br/>They write the lines in silence for a while. Maybe it's his <em>I can't afford to disappoint the teachers, I need to fit in </em>instincts kicking in, Nico looks a little ashamed. Will's heart breaks all over again for the boy he's come to love more than anything. <br/><br/>"My hand hurts," Will complains, and maybe pouts a little for dramatic effect. <br/><br/>"Oh quit complaining Solace! At least be thankful he gave us normal quills. I heard there was once a Defense against the Dark Arts teacher who made the students use a quill that actually carved the letters into their hands."<br/><br/>"I'm pretty sure that's a made up story, Nico. "<br/><br/>"No, it's real. Apparently she was sent to Azkaban for her crimes."<br/><br/>"For carving into people's hands?"<br/><br/>"Among other things."<br/><br/>A minute passes. And then two. Deciding he currently hates the silence, he speaks up. "How do you even know that?" <br/><br/>"I know things Will. The things I know, you'd be surprised." The slightly evil glint in his eye and a corner of his lips twisted upwards in a smirk should be concerning, really. But Will knows him enough to call his bluff, and isn't impressed in the slightest. <br/><br/>"Oh yeah? Like how you know why you broke into Chiron's office and made me steal a pair Ashwinder eggs and got us into two weeks of detention?" He tries to sound angry, but it comes off as teasing. He couldn't be angry if he wanted to. Will knows Nico's got him wrapped around his finger, and that doesn't bother him nearly as it should. <br/><br/>Nico looks like he wants to argue, but Will knows he'll finally give in. Something tells him (maybe it's his own heart) that Will's not the only one completely enamoured in this relationship. <br/><br/>"You said you wondered what Amortentia would smell like to you once. It's not exactly legal here, so I figured we could brew it ourselves. I mean, it's not like we would be misusing it." <br/><br/>Will remembers that day. It was one of the last potion classes of the sixth year and they had been learning about Amortentia. Apparently they weren't allowed to brew it or even sample it since they were strictly illegal. He'd told Nico in passing that it would have been nice to know what Amortentia would smell like for him. <br/><br/>The fact that Nico would break multiple rules and brew an illegal potion for him just because of something he said months ago warms Will's heart. He thinks it's romantic, it it's own twisted, illegal way. <br/><br/>"You remembered that? That was months ago Neeks." It's not even that important to him; he has a few guesses (some surer than the others). The potion would probably smell like butterbeer, his mama's brownies, an odd assortment of healing potions from the hospital wing. And every single smell that he's come to associate with Nico. <br/><br/>"It was supposed to be a surprise! Besides, I wasn't going to experiment it with someone or anything," he's getting defensive now. <br/><br/>"So your great idea of a surprise was to make me get the ingredients?" <br/><br/>A blush appears on Nico's cheeks as he mumbles something that suspiciously sounds like '<em>I'll hit you with a cupboard</em>'. <br/><br/>"What?" <br/><br/>"I said I couldn't reach the cupboard, alright! The eggs were on the top shelf, and Accio doesn't work on the cupboard. You're the only one I could trust enough to ask." <br/><br/>He can tell Nico's not impressed by his reaction. Before Nico gets any angrier, he should probably—<br/><br/>"Stop laughing!" Nico's face is a beautiful mix of offended, angry, and embarrassed, and picturing that look with a short Nico trying and failing to reach the top shelf only makes him laugh harder. <br/><br/>"Alright sorry. Sorry. Hey." His laughter has subsided into occasional chuckles. "Will you look at me?" <br/><br/>Nico does and Will connects their foreheads together. After a few blissful seconds, he places brief kisses on Nico's lips. <em>One, two, three, four, and then a lasting kiss. </em><br/><br/>The moment is perfect, and there's nothing or no one else that matters. Not their half-finished detention scrolls, or the wine glass that has magically filled itself, or the fact that Mr. D could barge in there at any time. Nothing can ruin this moment. <br/><br/>"So you couldn't reach the top shelf huh? Not even with the shoes that you charmed to make yourself look taller?" <br/><br/>"Shut up Will! You ruined the moment." <br/><br/>A short laughter escapes before he can stop himself. <br/><br/>"I hate you." <br/><br/>"No you don't, Neeks." <br/><br/>"Hmph..."<br/><br/>"I can't believe you finally admitted that I'm taller than you." <br/><br/>"Willl! Shut up." <br/><br/>And just like that, their perfect world is back. <br/><br/>"Hey Will?" Nico's voice is soft and sweet and all kinds of endearing. <br/><br/>"Hmm." <br/><br/>"I'm sorry I made you miss Thursday night at your common room." <br/><br/>"Eh, you probably saved me from 3 hours of boredom. I'd rather be here with you."<br/><br/>"Hmm. Love you."<br/><br/>"Love you too, Death boy." And he does, he really loves Nico. <br/><br/>"So will you help me break into Chiron's office again? I may or may not have dropped the Ashwinder eggs in the hallway."<br/><br/>Yeah, no forget that. He definitely hates Nico. The fact that his head is still buried onto Nico's chest means nothing. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I had so much fun writing this, and I hope you had fun reading it too :)<br/>Also, which house do you think Will and and Nico would have been sorted into?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Truth and... whatever</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Nico likes Will. Will likes Nico back. Nico wants Will to kiss him. Will says no— wait what?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><br/>When anyone asks Nico about his first kiss with Will, his mind reflexively wanders to the first party he had attended as a sophomore in college. He remembers the party hosted by Jason <em>(or was it Piper?) </em>in his dorm (<em>didn't Jason have his own flat back then?) </em>with ten or so friends (<em>wait was it a party or their monthly movie night?). </em><br/><br/>Fine. So he doesn't remember every stupid detail. But there are some things he definitely remembers. Like the fact that the party wasn't nearly as fun as Jason had advertised, or that he had had the biggest urge to kill Percy and Jason that day <em>(doesn't he always?).</em> <br/><br/>And there are things he couldn't forget if he wanted to. He can still picture Will wearing a light blue hoodie that day. He remembers that particular detail because he's wearing the same hoodie right now and it's his favourite, although maybe it wasn't this faded and didn't have the weird stain on the left sleeve back then. </p><p>He remembers the game of truth and dare that seemed like it had lasted for days, and Will being bullied into picking dare after he had picked truth three times in a row. Because that's where it all begins.</p><hr/><p>Nico should have known that going to the party was a bad, <em>bad </em>idea.<br/><br/>Yesterday had started fine, great even. He'd actually gotten a decent sleep, didn't have any assignments pending, and he had even managed to catch up with Hazel and spend quality time with her. And then Jason had to force him into attending the party. <br/><br/>In retrospect, maybe he's wrongly accusing Jason. All Jason had done was point out discreetly that Will might be joining the party. Yeah, Jason hadn't forced him, he had straight up manipulated him, and left Nico with no choice. <br/><br/>"Alright, Truth and dare time, everyone. You know the rules. Three truths in a row are not allowed. Pick dares as many times as you want. Any coward who backs off on a dare or truth has to take a shot." <br/><br/>So here he is now, sitting in a circle with others in Jason and Piper's living room. Will is seated a few people away with Frank and Piper at his sides. Will still looks a little unsure of himself, probably because he isn't that close with any of Nico's friends. <br/><br/>Over the past year, Nico and Will have become closer in many ways. They had introduced themselves to each other in the first week of college and since then, have struck an unlikely friendship. Unlikely, because Nico isn't the one to let people in so easily and in such a short time as he had with Will. He can never seem to tell what it is, but something about Will makes it impossible for anyone not to fall into his unwitting charms. <br/><br/>Lately though, he can feel that their dynamic has been changing, and Nico hopes for his heart's sake that he isn't the only one to think so. It isn't easy to pinpoint when the lingering touches and the soft looks had become common, or the relatively new territory of lowkey flirting is starting to become familiar and more frequent. <br/><br/>Normally Nico would do the wise thing and cut himself off from the stupid developing feelings and the source of the feelings, but with Will, he's more than eager to find out where it takes them. <br/><br/><br/>Annabeth spins the bottle first and it points to Leo. <br/><br/>"I pick dare. Give me your best shot, Chase," Leo challenges, and the game begins. <br/><br/>This should be interesting. <br/><br/> ***<br/><br/>An infinite number of spins later, Percy has a <em>'I hate blue food</em>' sign across his forehead, Frank is shirtless, Jason has donned a smokey winged eyeliner that he pulls off with grace<em> (heh, Grace),</em> and Annabeth has a picture of a spider drawn on her cheeks (for safety reasons, the dare was accompanied by <em>you're not allowed to kill me </em>from Leo). The only person who hasn't had any visible changes is Will, and that's only because he has only picked truths. <br/><br/>The bottle spins and points at Will. He picks truth again.<br/><br/>"Hey you're not allowed to pick truth three times in a row," Percy interjects. <br/><br/>"I don't think that's an actual rule," Will tries, but even he seems to know that he'll have to give in. "Fine, whatever."<br/><br/>"So Will," Nico can almost hear Jason's evil laughter in his head. "I dare you to kiss the third person to your left."<br/><br/><em>That's... Oddly specific, </em>he thinks as he mentally calculates the third position from Will's left. <br/><br/><em>Of course it is</em>. The third person from Will's left is himself. <br/><br/>Before he has the time to digest that, he can hear the snickering and the cheers. Jason and Percy have an identical look of triumph on their faces. <br/><em><br/>I wonder if they know they're going to be murdered later, </em>he thinks. <br/><br/>And then he realizes. Will has been dared to kiss him. He can feel his heart pick up a pace and his hands start to sweat and face heat up and <em>has it always been this hot here? <br/></em><br/>He does not dare look at Will but he knows that if he did, he would see Will's flushed face too. The opportunity to see a flustered Will is almost enough for him to pick up some courage and look up. But he doesn't, because he'll need some of that courage when Will kisses him. <br/><br/>"I'm not doing that. I'll take the shot instead," Will says after a while. <br/><br/>Glances dart into Will's direction (including Nico's). Each glance is shocked at first, then morphing into disbelief and finally settling into confusion. In Nico's case, it's pure hurt. <br/><br/>But Will's expression is unchanging. Regretful, but determined. <br/><br/>Nico can feel his chest constrict in a painful way and it's not even sadness at first, just confusion. Because he had been almost sure that Will felt the same towards him. He thought that like himself, Will had given away his feelings multiple times in the past in his flushed smiles and suggestive undertones in their conversations. Apparently not. <br/><em><br/>Had they not been flirting all this time? Had he read things wrong?<br/></em><br/>Will takes the glass in front of him, downs its contents in one gulp, and settles it down with more force than necessary. <em>There, happy now? </em><br/><br/>And with that, all hopes of Will ever wanting him back are gone. <br/><br/>The scene unfolding in front of him is like a movie where the whole setting goes silent for a moment and everything moves in a slow motion. Except here the silence stretches for an eternity, and everyone is now looking either at Will or at Nico. Percy and Jason at least have the decency to look guilty and ashamed. <em>Good</em>. <em>They had no right</em>. <br/><br/>"C'mon man, you take three truths in a row and when you finally get a dare, you back out?" Percy tries to lighten the mood, but even his short grin is more like a grimace. <br/><br/>"Alright, moving on," Nico says before Will or anyone can say anything. He has to struggle to get those words out, but he knows that if he doesn't, no one will. <br/><br/>"Nico I—" <br/><br/>"It's alright Jason. C'mon Will, spin the bottle." <br/><br/>Will doesn't look at him directly but Nico can see he's apologetic. He spins the bottle reluctantly and the game continues. Although there's an underlying tension in the air that everyone tries really hard to ignore. <br/><br/>He doesn't remember whom the bottle has landed on or what has been asked. He doesn't remember much after that, actually. All he can think of is <em>Will didn't kiss me he doesn't want to kiss me he will never want to kiss me. </em><br/><br/>Nico waits for two more spins before he deems it appropriate to excuse himself to the bathroom. He can hear someone calling him from behind but it's all background noise now. </p><hr/><p><em>What was he expecting anyway?</em> <br/><br/>That's the first thought that comes to his mind as he lets his emotions loose in the vast of the night at the rooftop. It's easier (and harder in equal measures) to be confronted with the newfound grief when there are only a handful of stars in the sky as witnesses. The second thought isn't a rhetorical question, but a revelation. A heartbreaking truth that the sooner he accepts, the better. <br/><br/><em>Rejected</em>. <br/><br/>Will had rejected him. He hadn't been hesitant, but dismissed the idea altogether as soon as it was brought up, like kissing Nico wasn't even an option. He had rejected Nico outright and left no room for doubt. Or hope. <br/><br/>A part of him wants to despise Will because he could have at least clarified things in private and kissed him anyway just for the show. <em>He didn't have to reject me in front of everyone</em>. But he knows it wouldn't be fair to Will because Will doesn't owe him anything, and he's allowed to not kiss Nico if he doesn't want to. <br/><br/><em>That doesn't make it hurt any less. </em><br/><br/>Nico now knows what it feels like to mourn for something that never existed. It's like when you're trying to write your name perfectly in the sand near the ocean, and when you finally get it right, a single wave washes it away before you can sit back and admire it. It's something like that, only infinitely more painful. <br/><br/></p><hr/><p><br/>"Nico! Hey wait," Nico hears a familiar voice call out to him from behind. It belongs to the last person he wants to see right now. Or for some days at least. Possibly a year. He wonders if he can use the bathroom card again to get away. <br/><br/>"Hey Will. I was just going to the bathroom." <br/><br/>"But the bathroom isn't that way." Will's voice is a little slurred and genuinely confused, and Nico has to wonder how much he has drunk. <br/><br/>"Why are you here, Solace?" Nico tries his best not to sound so resigned. <br/><br/>"I want— wanted to," Will sounds like he's organizing his thoughts and articulating them. "About the dare... us kissing. I mean— Wait are you crying?" <br/><br/>"Look Will, I understand," Nico interruptes him mid-ramble, "It's okay really. You're not obligated to kiss me if you don't want to." He can feel his heart break into pieces as he forces himself to say those words. "It was a stupid dare anyway. No harm done." <br/><br/>Nico turns to walk away, but feels a warm hand on his left wrist before he can take the first step. <em>Don't turn back. Don't look into Will's eyes. <br/></em><br/>"Hey, no. I refused kissing you not because I didn't want to." Will's voice is like silk in the ocean, and as a flicker of hope dares settle in Nico's heart at those words, he turns slowly to face Will. Apparently he's a masochist. <em>Good to know. <br/></em><br/>Will's eyes are so similar yet so different different than before. His eyes are always so expressive, and they don't disappoint him now either. They are still regretful and determined, but something about them has changed. Something that doesn't make Nico as sad as it made him earlier. That something in Will's eyes prompts Nico to hope that maybe he has a chance after all. <br/><br/>"I didn't kiss you back there because I wanted our first kiss to mean something. Not just be a product of some stupid dare." <br/><br/>Nico doesn't seem to know what to say, and Will takes this as a sign to continue. <br/><br/>"It took a lot of self-restraint not to kiss you, Death boy. But I had to do it, because it wouldn't be fair of me or anyone to assume that you would want me to kiss you on a dare. I couldn't do that to you. Trust me, I'd very much like to kiss you. But I wasn't going to put on a show just for others to sit back and enjoy." <br/><br/>The first emotion Nico feels is relief. Because Will wants to kiss him too, and all those things that he had forced himself to believe earlier don't hold much substance. The second thing he feels isn't an emotion, but something warm trailing down his cheeks, which seems to be a product of said relief. <em>Tears. Great. And puffy eyes, probably. Why not mix in some snot and add to the perfection? </em><br/><br/>"Shit! I'm sorry, sorry Nico. I thought— because I thought you wanted to—" Will's panicked expression would have been funny if it wasn't directed towards him. <br/><br/>"—No wait. I mean, I'd like that too. Kiss you, I mean." He wipes his eyes and cheeks hurriedly and hopes his eyes aren't too red. "See? No tears." <br/><br/>Will smiles a little, but still has a subtle layer of panic and sadness in his eyes. Will's eyes are a beautiful mixture of dark and light blue, and all Nico can think is how he's going to be able to be so close to those eyes when they kiss.<br/><br/>He takes deep breaths in anticipation. Any moment now, he's going to have his first kiss with Will. Suddenly, he's self conscious of his breath. <em>What if it stinks? How many slices of pizza has he had?<br/></em><br/>But now's not the time to think all that. Because at this moment, he's going to—<br/><br/>"I'm not going to kiss you right now." <br/><br/>"Oh." <br/><br/><em>Right. That makes sense. Not controversial at all</em>. <br/><br/>Will hurries for an explanation before Nico can show his confusion, "I'm a little drunk right now." Will brushes his hair through his hand, and continues, "And you're not."<br/><br/>"You're not <em>that</em> drunk Will." <br/><br/>"Yeah, but I want to be completely sober for this, I've been told I get kinda spacey when drunk," Will tucks a loose strand of Nico's hair behind his ears as he says, "Although, I suppose I'll never get to kiss you fully sober. Because I'll always be drunk on your love." <br/><br/>"Gods, Shut up Will!" Nico says but even he can't stop himself from grinning widely. <br/><br/>Will wraps his arms around Nico from behind and Nico automatically leans on him.<em> So warm</em>. Will's arms provide him with the warmth he hadn't realized he needed. They stay like that for a long time, with Will's breath on Nico's ear and Nico trying really hard not to be conscious of the fact. <br/><br/>"I think they're still playing truth and dare," Nico starts. <br/><br/>"Yeah, but I guess I might have dampened the mood a little." <br/><br/>"Eh, they deserved it. Maybe they'll finally learn to mind their own business." <br/><br/>"Hmm. Do you think they'll miss us?" <br/><br/>"I think I don't care if they miss us." <br/><br/>The stars are the same as they were before, but they don't seem nearly as depressing. The same handful of stars now seem to witness the budding of something new and delicate between him and Will. <br/><br/>"Hey, Nico?" Will asks after gods know how much he time has passed. <br/><br/>"Hmm." <br/><br/>"I'm sorry I made you feel like I rejected you." <br/><br/>"That's okay. I wasn't sad or anything." <em>For a moment there, I was heartbroken. <br/></em><br/>"Yeah?" <br/><br/>"Yeah." <em>I thought you would never like me back. <br/></em><br/>"Well I'm still sorry." <br/><br/>"It's alright  Solace." <em>It really is, because all that matters is that you're here right now. </em><br/><br/></p><hr/><p>
  <br/>
  <em>So to sum it up, Nico does not end up having his first kiss with Will that night. He doesn't have the kiss the following morning either, because Will is so hungover his head could be pulling a Zeus and giving birth to Athena (Will's words, not his. And clearly an exaggeration). </em>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <em>But that's okay, because they will always have tomorrow. And the day after that. And the day after. And practically every other day until this moment will become a memory and a nice story for anyone who asks. </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Your story or mine?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Three stories within a story— a frustrating story, a stolen story, and a story never told before.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Yeah, I'm not sure how I feel about this. Oh well.<br/>Also, the story has an open ending.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There are only a handful of times in Nico's life when he has wished that he could go back in time. This is one of those times.</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>He doesn't even want to go far. All he needs is the last ten minutes of his life back, so he can erase the entire existence of anything that happened between him and Will, and gloss it over with some generic, boring crap. Just ten minutes. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Like that's gonna happen. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>It had all started a few hours ago when they had ditched their English assignments in favour of doing... well, nothing. The assignment was simple enough, and could be completed in an hour at most if they paid a little attention. Unfortunately in a high schooler's lexicon, it translated into <em>procrastinate until the last minute. </em></p>
</div><div>
  <p>It had started when Will had decided that they could write short stories to each other and see if they could come up with a good plot on the spot. It's a sort of tradition between them, something they do together to pass the time. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>So here they are, sitting at Will's home at the dining table, exchanging absurd and senseless stories. Their English assignment sheets are somewhere around, currently forgotten and (hopefully not) sulking. </p>
</div><div>
  <hr/>
</div><div>
  <p>"Okay. Now how about the most frustrating story ever written?" Will asks. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Frustrating in what sense?" </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Frustrating in a general sense." </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Alright, so this is how it goes. Grab me the pen, will you?" Will does and Nico starts writing. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>This is a story of a girl and a boy.</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Yeah, I can see why that would be frustrating to you," Will laughs<em>. </em>Nico joins in, and continues writing. </p>
</div><div>
  <p><em>The girl and the boy have never met, and know each other only through text messages. Typical text buddies. They text a lot, and talk about everything and nothing. They think they know each other so well, never mind they have never met in real life. But here's a twist. They both attend the same high school</em>—</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"—Who would have guessed," Will says with a snort, and Nico can't help but grin. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>Right. And they're pretty good friends at school too. But they don't know that they've been texting each other. There are a hundred instances where they almost realize, but they never do. Because either they're really dumb or <strike>really</strike> really good at practicing denial.</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Hey, if they are good friends in real life, wouldn't they already have each other's number?" </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"They would, but then the story would actually make sense. Nobody wants that. Anyway," </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>The girl falls in love with the boy whom she's been texting. But the boy falls with the girl from real life. Girl asks the boy out through a text message, boy says he's in love with someone else. Boy asks the girl out in real life, girl rejects him saying she's in love with someone else. Both are heartbroken. They could have saved all the trouble by using at least one of their two brain cells and figure out who the other is, but they don't. <br/>
</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p><em>So they continue to suffer. After some time, the girl begins to fall in love with the guy in real life. She asks him out, but the boy says he's moved on and is in love with someone else now.</em> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Any guesses who?" </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Not a single clue." </p>
</div><div>
  <p><em>And the boy, who now has moved on and started falling for the girl who he's been texting</em>—</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"— What? No way," Will fake gasps for dramatic effect. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>Yes way. Anyway, he asks the girl from the texts out and she rejects him. They are heartbroken for the second time. </em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"The end." </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>Not really, no. That would mean doing them a favour. They repeat the cycle over and over and it gets more and more frustrating. Until finally, one day one of them keels over and dies of heartbreak. The end. </em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>From the corner of his eye, Nico can see Will grinning as he reads the last lines of the story. His smiles are pretty much the only reason why he willingly indulges in stupid stuffs like these. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Alright, my turn," Will takes the notebook and pen from him. His chin is resting on his left hand, and the right hand is hovering over the notebook. His eyebrows are scrunched adorably and mouth is set in a thin line, probably thinking (or pretending to think) of a plot for the story. After three minutes or so, his hand over the notebook gets to work. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>The story starts with a murder. A bunch of chefs are in a cooking competition. Everyone is in a hurry, like in the last five minutes of Hell's Kitchen. One of the chefs, let's call him Jimmy, is all frantic and anxious when all of the sudden, he drops down dead. </em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Why does he have to be a chef? Why not something else, say, a pirate?" </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Because the story demands it. Now stop distracting me." </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>The police come and investigate, and they find out that he'd been poisoned. Their first guess is that the poison was laced in one of the ingredients. They suspect another chef, say Timmy, from the competition who apparently had a fight with Jimmy beforehand, but he denies murdering him. Obviously. </em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>Meanwhile, the other detectives check the victim's room and find an alcohol bottle laced with the poison. They also find out that he was an alcoholic, and that he was trying to hide the fact from his peers—</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"—Couldn't he have hidden the bottle more carefully?" </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Well in the dead guy's defence, he probably didn't know he was about to die. Moving on,"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>The detectives decide to question the chefs once more, and find out that the bottle was a gift from another chef from the competition, say Kimmy. Kimmy concedes after a lot of questioning, but is <strike>amadant</strike> adamant that she didn't poison the alcohol. They also question the woman Jimmy was having an affair with, but before they can get to her, she's killed with the same poison anonymously. </em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>The next suspect is Jimmy's wife. Well ex wife. Apparently Jimmy and his wife had a huge fight a few weeks ago that hadn't ended well. After a bit of searching, they find the ingredients needed to make the poison in her trash can. Which she claims she has no idea where they came from.</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>Oh yeah and she's pregnant. The three maain suspects are the man chef, the woman chef, and ex wife of the dead chef. </em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Who do you think is the killer?" </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"The woman chef?" </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>Good guess, but no. Like every other murder mystery, it's actually the fourth option— the head chef. Who's a woman. Not that it's relevant to the story. The head chef is seen lurking in the background throughout the story. Her motive is that Jimmy had sabotaged her dreams of opening a restaurant with help from his girlfriend. She goes to jail, the ex wife has the baby some months later. Jimmy and his girlfriend stay dead. The end. </em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"So, what do you think?" Will puts lid back in the pen and looks at Nico expectantly. </p>
  <p>"..." </p>
  <p>"... Well?" </p>
  <p>"You stole the plot from <em>The Mentalist, </em>didn't you?" </p>
  <p>"I— I didn't — No?" Will's look is exactly the same as that of a deer caught in headlights. Well not exactly the same; Nico doubts a deer would look as pretty as Will even if it tried. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"You totally did. Need I remind you, I watched the whole series with you?" </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I only took the concept from that episode. I changed their names!" Will says defensively. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Well I'm sure the director will appreciate that. The least you could have done is presented it properly."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Maybe I would have if you hadn't been distracting me and watching me all the time!" </p>
</div><div>
  <p>It's Nico's turn to be the deer now, with extra blush in his cheeks. <em>Do deers even blush?</em> <em>Huh, maybe I should ask Will. Speaking of—</em></p>
</div><div>
  <p>Will seems suddenly interested in scribbling nonsensical doodles on the dining table, and he's pointedly avoiding Nico's eyes. If it weren't for him being awkward, Nico would have probably warned Will against doodling on the table lest he should face Naomi's wrath. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>The sudden awkwardness is nothing new between them, with them spending most of the time together and Nico being mindlessly blunt and Will speaking before his mind consents. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I can't believe you stole the episode from <em>The Mentalist." </em>Nico's lying, he totally believes Will would do this. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Will chooses to be the bigger person and not add fuel to the conversation. But not before striking a punch on his arm. With that, the whatever residual awkwardness had remained is gone. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Now write a story that no one has heard before," Will says, pushing the notebook back in front of Nico. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Yeah, no. That was fun, but we have an assignment due tomorrow," Nico dramatically points to the assignment sheet, so there's no way Will can pretend he hadn't seen it. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"C'mon Neeks, just one more, and I won't bother you." </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Will. Assignment. Tomorrow due." </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Nico. Story. Last. Please." Will says, with a puppy face he's been so used to seeing since they were children yet never quite developed a resistance for.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He knows he should learn to say no, he really does. But when Will is looking at him like there's nothing more he wants to do than listen to a story written for him— never mind the assignment that's due tomorrow— there's little he can do. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Hey, he has his priorities in check, and Will just so happens to be on the top of that list. Nico hasn't said anything, and Will still hasn't toned down the puppy eyes. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Go away Will, I'm not writing a stupid story for you. Let's finish this stupid assignment so I can go home," he tries anyway. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    
  </p>
</div><div>
  <hr/>
</div><div>
  <p>
    
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>As it turns out, he is writing a story for Will. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Not just any story. But a story no one has ever heard before. He has a story that comes to mind, but that could be dangerous. Yeah, he's probably going to regret this. Hopefully not so much that he'll have to wish to turn back time. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Remember, you asked for this. How about this, I'll write a story, and you get to write the ending. Sound good?" Nico readies his notebook and holds the pen. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Alright," Will says, barely able to hide the excitement off his face. Stupid blue puppy eyes. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>"It's a story of a boy and a girl. The boy—"</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Again? Yeah, like no one's ever heard that before. A boy and a girl. Lovers, I assume?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Fine then." Nico's so going to regret this. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em><strike>It's a story of a boy and a girl. The boy</strike> Two boys. Not lovers. The first boy—</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"—Best friends, then. I'm sure."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Yes, best friends." </p>
</div><div>
  <p><em>The boy</em>—</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"<em>—</em>Like us?" </p>
</div><div>
  <p><em>"</em>Sure, like us."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>The boy—</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"—Two boys that are best friends. But isn't that so—"</p>
</div><div>
  <p><em>"—</em>Typical, yeah. And overused. You interrupt me once more, and I'm out of here." </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Choosing not to fawn over Will's sheepish smile, Nico continues writing. <em>There's still time to back out. You're so going to regret this,</em> he thinks. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>So, the boy, let's call him X—</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Ohh, like Mr. X?<em>"</em></p>
</div><div>
  <p><em>"</em>No, like X the variable." </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>X is alright, nothing special really. He doesn't doesn't like many people, which isn't surprising since many people don't like him either. His best friend, say Y, is loved by everyone. He's always smiling, obnoxiously optimistic, talks as often as he breathes—</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Ohh a trouble." Will interrupts, clearly ignoring his exasperated look, "I wonder how they managed to become friends— Oh wait, maybe they have known each other since childhood, just like us?" </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Nico opens his mouth to speak, but instead just smiles, and continues writing. This is where he decides he doesn't care if he does end up regretting it. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>As you say. Okay, they've been friends since elementary, just like us. And yes, Y is a trouble under a guise of a pretty boy. He irritates X and tests his patience a lot. He's too loud, too talkative, and too much of an idiot, and anyone can tell, that's one deadly combination.</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p><em>"</em>Why is X even friends with him if he irritates Y so much?'</p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>Because he's learnt to live with it. Even worse, he's learnt to love the flaws. So much that he's inherited some of his madness too, if only a little. He gets restless when he isn't able to sense Y's presence or if Y isn't there to nag him with his inherent silliness.</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>He knows that inside Y's happy-go-lucky attitude, there is a heart so pure and warm, a child like innocence he's never failed to admire. He loves the way he's so passionate about the little things that make him happy, and things that make <strike>me happy</strike>—I mean X happy.</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"A quiet, reserved boy, and a loud, cheerful boy. Kinda sounds like us, don't you think? Except you need to learn to embrace my madness from me, Death boy. That must be a huge problem." </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>Well, it's a start. The real problem begins now, when he realizes he's not only in love with Y's madness, but also the source of the madness. Once he realizes it, he doesn't dare deny it, he doesn't even question it. Because that was bound to happen. </em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>Because it's so easy falling in love with him— with their inside jokes, the way Y manipulates X to do his English assignments, even the way Y convinces him to let him borrow X's jackets which he knows he'll never get back again. And in the process, he's hopelessly fallen for Y. </em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p><em>"</em>Hey! you said it wasn't a love story. Someone just had to fall in love with the other. Well, what's the problem now?" Will says. So pure, and innocent. <em>Makes me want to hit my head a million times on the wall. </em></p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>Problem is, X is scared. For obvious reasons. He couldn't pinpoint the exact moment when he fell in love with Y if he tried. There's no point anyway, because it feels like it has been forever. And Y isn't as easy to read as everyone thinks. It's taken X a long time to read between the happy smiles, the cheerful attitude, and everything that X does with absolute dedication. Even then, he's not sure how Y would respond if X declared his love for him. </em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>If Y asked, X would give him the sun— Y doesn't deserve anything less. He would show what love is to Y, and what he means to X. </em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>But X is a coward. He's too scared of what might happen to their friendship if Y doesn't feel the same. He's too scared to ruin what they have, for what they might or might not have. He's a coward, but what else can he do? Because the problem is, even with all these clues, Y is still clueless.</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p><em>"</em>For obvious reasons huh," Will says, his tone more serious. He looks like he's trying to make sense of something, and there's a hint of uncertainty. Nico continues writing.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>For obvious reasons, yes. So he writes, because that's the only thing he knows. He writes a story about them, a story no one has ever heard before, in his own way of confessing his love to Y. Not that he's been too lucky, his stupid best friend is so dense that he doesn't realise the story is about them. </em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p><em>"</em>Until now, I suppose," Nico doesn't realize he's said those words out loud. They sound foreign in his tongue— ironically, like a narrator in some story. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>At those words, as realisation finally hits Will, Nico watches as the color leaves his beautiful face for a moment and next moment, gets painted in a heavy hue of red. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>This is where he wishes he could go back in time. <em>Just the last ten minutes, please. </em>But he knows it doesn't work that way. So he decides to move forward. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>Sometimes he wishes he could go back, so he could 'un-love' Y. This way he might save their friendship. But he can't, and doesn't want to, either. Maybe he's selfish, or just a bit too hopeful. </em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>And how could he not hope? He knows that Y can fight till the end of the world with him, but he would also fight against the world for him. Y is the reason for X's smile most of the times, but he knows Y well enough to know that this goes both ways. </em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>He stops writing and attempts to read Will's face. He's still blushing furiously, and while he's visibly struggling to speak, Will is also trying to maintain a calm and collected look. Just one of the many things he's loved about Will. </p>
</div><div>
  <p><em>Now he isn't so sure if he should have poured his heart to him. Y hasn't said anything for a long time, which has to be a record. He thinks he might have messed it up, but there's nothing he can do. He's already said too much, it's impossible to go back. He doesn't want to go back, because he knows he'll never be able to gather much courage to do it all over again</em>. </p>
</div><div>
  <p><em>So he asks the person sitting beside him, the first and possibly the only reader of this story, 'Do you think Y would ever love me back— him back</em>— "Damnit. Let's try this again."<em> Do you think Y would ever love <strike>me</strike> him back?' </em></p>
</div><div>
  <p><em>"</em>Neeks I—"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"There you have it," he interrupts Will, "Your very own story. You're free to choose if it ends, or how it ends. Here, end it the way you like, if it isn't too much, well, trouble." With slightly trembling hands, he hands Will the pen.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Will opens his mouth as if to complain, thinks better of it, and just takes the pen. The expression in his face is so unlike the ones Nico is normally used to seeing.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>As Will writes the ending of his (maybe their) story, Nico reads as every word, every single word is engraved to his heart, and suddenly realises that either way, their life will never be the same.</p>
</div>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm constantly stuck trying to find a balance between the plot, aesthetic, and dialogues.</p>
<p>The story that Will tells (writes) is inspired (definitely not stolen!) from an episode of The Mentalist (S2E15, Red Herring).</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Annapurna dairies and love revisited</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Will had a crush on Nico in middle school. More than a decade later, they find each other in the most surprising turn of events.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This story features places and mountains (especially Annapurna mountain) in Nepal. The whole story is based on trekking through the areas. </p><p>Just a heads up, ABC refers to Annapurna base camp.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It's been only two days since he's been at this stupid trek, and Will already wants to return home.<br/>
<br/>
He shouldn't be feeling like this. The whole trip has given him the break he's needed for a long time. <br/>
The place is heavenly and the scenery is as beautiful as can be. If he had an option to choose anywhere he wanted to be right now, he'd probably find his way back here. By all means, he should be planning at least his next five holidays here. <br/>
<br/>
But it's so damn cold, even with the multiple layers of jackets and blankets around him<em>. </em>Why did it have to rain for two days straight? <br/>
<br/>
<em>Whose great idea was this trip again? <br/>
</em><br/>
From the foggy window of his room, he can see Lou Ellen and Cecil dancing in the rain like children, unaware of the world moving around them. Their laughter resounds from the glass and the heavy rain makes it sound like a garbled, musical mess. <br/>
<br/>
<em>Right. That's whose. <br/>
</em><br/>
He doesn't have it in himself to regret this trip when the two most important people in his life are having a time of their life. <br/>
<br/>
<em>Suck it up, Solace. </em><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
It's his forth day here and Will meets his salvation in an Aviator jacket and rosy cheeks. <br/>
<br/>
He remembers the boy (now man) from his middle school back in New York. There's no mistaking him, even though he looks completely different from what he looked like in school. This is the same boy Will spent most of his time pining over, wishing to gods that he would one day give him the time of his day. <br/>
<br/>
<em>Would he remember Will? </em>He wonders. <br/>
<br/>
<em>He probably didn't notice you in school, what makes you think he'll remember? </em>His mind supplies unhelpfully but truthfully. <br/>
<br/>
Finally, Will decides to take a leap and go to the table where the man is sitting. <br/>
<br/>
"Nico? Nico di Angelo?"<br/>
<br/>
The man looks up and is surprised at first, then a little skeptical. There isn't a single hint of recognition on his face. <em>Of course. </em><br/>
<br/>
"Sorry, do I know you?" He replys cautiously. <br/>
<br/>
"I'm Will. Will Solace. We went to the same middle school." <em>Still no recognition. </em><br/>
<br/>
"I was friends with Percy and Annabeth," Will adds. <br/>
<br/>
"Oh yeah, I remember you now. You saved Annabeth's life once in school, right?" A flicker of familiarity appears in his face. <br/>
<br/>
"I wouldn't say <em>saved her life,</em> I just patched her wound up," Will says, surprised that Nico actually remembers that. "You know, I'm a little offended that that's the only memory you remember me by!" <br/>
<br/>
"In my defence, Percy kept mentioning it over the years every time someone asked about the scar on Annabeth's shoulder," Nico laughs, "Your name used to pop up here and there." <br/>
<br/>
"You're still friends with them? Man, that's great." Laughter seems to come more often to Nico than when they were at school. And naturally. He's a far cry from the death kid reincarnate he used to be back then. <br/>
<br/>
<em>Didn't stop you from having a crush on him even then</em>, his mind retorts. He chooses to ignore that. <br/>
<br/>
"Yeah. They're married, actually." Nico takes his phone out and shows him a picture, "Here, that's them. They also had a kid last year." <br/>
<br/>
The picture is a group photo of ten or so people, and Will doesn't recognize anyone else other than Percy, Annabeth, and Nico. <em>Wait is that Grover? And Thalia? </em><br/>
<br/>
Looking at the photo makes him nostalgic for his life in America. The sight of these few people whose faces he had once known and seen everyday for years tugs a small corner of his heart. <br/>
<br/>
"I have to say, this is a nice coincidence. Have you been vacationing here long?" Nico says as he retrieves his phone. <br/>
<br/>
"Not long, I've been here only four days. Although I've been staying in Nepal for two years." <em>Two years and four months. </em>"I work at an INGO in Kathmandu." <br/>
<br/>
"Oh, that's so cool," Nico says like he means it. <br/>
<br/>
"It's been nice." He doesn't know what else to add. <br/>
<br/>
Nico smiles but doesn't say anything. <br/>
<br/>
"Hey, my friends and I would be happy to have you with us," Will asks out of the blue, "Would you like to join our group?" <br/>
<br/>
For a moment, Will thinks he's going to decline. When he's halfway preparing for the rejection, Nico surprises him, "Yes, I'd like that." </p>
<hr/><p><br/>
The next three hours or so, Will spends the time getting to catch up to Nico. He doesn't speak much, but gives a short account of his life in America. Will learns that Nico has been spending the last month travelling through Bhutan and parts of India. <br/>
<br/>
And Will tells him about himself. <br/>
<br/>
"I've been working at SOS Children's Village in Kathmandu since I got here," Will says, "Lou and Cecil work there too. I teach the elementary level kids and help out in the clinic." <br/>
<br/>
"Do you miss them?" <br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, I suppose I do." <br/>
<br/>
<em>Yeah, I suppose I do</em> is a heavy understatement. He hadn't wanted to leave them in the first place, but Lou and Cecil would have murdered him if he had cancelled the trek for the third time. <br/>
<br/>
But, he doesn't want to talk about the kids right now<em>. Gods, please don't ask about the children. Because—</em><br/>
<br/>
"What's working with children like?" <br/>
<br/>
—<em>Because he doesn't know how to stop once he starts talking about them. <br/>
</em><br/>
"It's so fulfilling, Nico," he starts rambling, "They're just so damn cute, and they say the weirdest things. They're always so eager to learn, and will believe anything as long as you use an adult voice. You know, I managed to convince some of them that my hair was actually made of gold."</p><p>His mind wanders into the particular piece of memory that he rememberes like yesterday. <br/>
<br/>
"So you tend to pollute their innocent minds with your propaganda, and you're actually proud of it?" Nico teases and Will opens his mouth to answer, but Lou beats him to it. <br/>
<br/>
"Oh please," she says, "Don't believe a word he says. He's so weak for them, they have him wrapped around their pinkies." <br/>
<br/>
"Hey—" <br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, he lets them braid his 'gold hair' all the time," Cecil takes the reigns of the conversation, "He's going to bust his back someday because of all the piggyback rides he can't refuse." <br/>
<br/>
Will sticks his tongue out at them. Meanwhile, Nico seems to be enjoying himself at his expense. <br/>
<br/>
"And guess who's their favourite?" Will retorts. <br/>
<br/>
"Oh Will, you're not their favourite because you cater to their every demand, you're their favourite because you're easy to manipulate." </p><p><br/>
Will knew that already, but he can't help it if the children look at him with their big brown eyes like they want nothing more than to watch the TV for half an hour longer or braid his hair. <br/>
<br/>
"What about you Nico? What do you do in America?" Will purposely steers the focus of the conversation to Nico. <br/>
<br/>
"I work in a publishing house. And travel, mostly. I work for six months in a year, and travel for the other six." <br/>
<br/>
<em>Wow really? <br/>
</em><br/>
"That's practical?" <br/>
<br/>
"It is when it's what you want." <br/>
<br/>
"And the company, they take you back just like that?" <br/>
<br/>
"Well, they didn't want to, but I threatened the owner that I'd forward all of his embarrassing pictures as a kid to the employees." <br/>
<br/>
He must have noticed their confused faces, so he clarifies. <br/>
<br/>
"He's my friend. The owner. My friend owns the company." <br/>
<br/>
"Oh." <br/>
<br/>
<em>Yeah, that makes more sense</em>. </p>
<hr/><p> <br/>
It's the third day since he's met Nico and he wishes to Gods he hadn't introduced him to Lou Ellen. <br/>
<br/>
Lou seems to have appointed herself as <em>Will's embarrassing stories teller </em>with Cecil as her assistant. <br/>
<br/>
"And you know, he almost cried the second day here when it began raining heavily. He kept saying '<em>How the hell is it still raining</em>'?" <br/>
<br/>
"And what did you say?" Nico looks like all the smiling is hurting his face. <br/>
<br/>
"Being a good friend that I am, I patiently explained water cycle to him. The exact same thing he teaches the children back in the village." <br/>
<br/>
Normally he would glare at them or ignore them or just leave, but he doesn't want to miss the way Nico laughs and smiles at the silly anecdotes. <br/>
<br/>
<em>If only anyone had told him in middle school that he'd live to hear Nico's laughter, let alone be the reason for it. </em><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
The next day, Will realizes (admits) that his ancient crush on Nico might be resurfacing. <br/>
<br/>
It's their second last day (except Nico) there and they have moved on and reached <em>Ghorepani</em>, a village that leads to Annapurna Base Camp. Nico<em> I don't have a fixed itinerary</em> di Angelo has plans to continue the trek to ABC. <br/>
<br/>
Nico and Will have been tasked with finding a guest house for them to stay. On their way, they talk about Nico's travels and adventures, the cultures he has familiarised himself with. <br/>
<br/>
They find a suitable guest house after some searching, and sit back as Lou bargains for the price. <br/>
<br/>
"Namaste <em>Didi," </em>Lou starts, "We would like two rooms with two single beds." <br/>
<br/>
The woman smiles and takes Lou with her to inspect the rooms, with Cecil in tow. <br/>
<br/>
"We found a good place to stay," Nico says, "We can reach Poon hill tomorrow in time to see the sunrise." <br/>
<br/>
"Yeah. It's nice." <br/>
<br/>
No it's not. <br/>
<br/>
Well, the guest house is still nice, but their plans of exploring the hills are somewhat dampened by the unexpected rain. It doesn't even rain for long, but the cold is enough for Will to want to get into a warm cocoon of a thousand blankets and never get out. <br/>
<br/>
At night, they light a small fire that is reminiscent of the campfire singalongs he used to have in the summer camp he attended when he was young. <br/>
<br/>
One of the main differences between those campfires and now is that Will wasn't the butt of their jokes in the summer camp. <br/>
<br/>
Unfortunately, here he has to listen to the continuation of yesterday's jokes at his expense. The fact that he's shivering even through the two layers of sweaters and a jacket doesn't do him any favours. <br/>
<br/>
He contemplates leaving them there and going back to his room and tries to stands up, but Cecil stops whatever joke he had been telling, and calls out to him. <br/>
<br/>
"Hey sorry Will, you're not cold, we're lying, please don't get mad," Cecil snickers through his mock-serious tone. Will sighs in defeat and sits back down. <em>Why does he love them? </em><br/>
<br/>
Nico comes to sit next to Will a while later and wordlessly hands him his coat. Will refuses to acknowledge it. <br/>
<br/>
"You're going to freeze."<br/>
<br/>
"Whatever Nico. I can handle this much cold." <em>Sure you can. "</em>Take your stupid coat away, I'm not cold. I'm<em> not." <br/>
</em><br/>
"Alright Dr. Too-hot-to-be-cold, let's hope your fingers don't start falling off randomly." Will tries to protest but Nico dismisses him easily. They sit in silence. <br/>
<br/>
"Hey Will," Nico whispers after a while. <br/>
<br/>
"Hmm." <br/>
<br/>
"I'm getting cold, mind sharing body heat?" <br/>
<br/>
Nico doesn't wait for his response and scoots closer to Will until he's practically on Will's lap. He wraps the coat close to them. At some point, Nico takes his hands and rubs them against his own gloved hands. <br/>
<br/>
The little gesture makes Will weirdly emotional and so <em>so</em> grateful because he could have literally frozen to death. He leans in a little more and basks in Nico's warmth. <br/>
<br/>
<em>So warm</em>. <br/>
<br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
The next morning, he wakes up to see the most beautiful sunrise he has ever seen. <br/>
<br/>
Not exactly. He had to wake up an hour before the sunrise and walk forty five minutes from their guest house. <br/>
<br/>
Its almost 5 in the morning when they reach Poon Hill, which is a vantage point for several mountains to be viewed, and the sky is a beautiful shade of grey. </p><p><br/>
"See that?" Nico points to a mountain peak at a distance, "That's Annapurna, there's Annapurna Base Camp at the, well, base. That's where I'll be heading tomorrow." <br/>
<br/>
"And see that mountain? The one shaped like a fish's tail? It's literally called Fish-tail mountain." <br/>
<br/>
Nico pointing at the mountains and telling him about them is so reminiscent of one of the children back in the village talking about his 'inventions', and Will sees a bit of an excitable ten-year old in him. He just nods along and smiles, not wanting to mention that he already knows all that stuff. <br/>
<br/>
"And that one's a part of Annapurna too, and see there— oh wait, the sun's starting to rise." <br/>
<br/>
He'll say it again, this is the most beautiful sunrise he has ever seen. <br/>
<br/>
Will looks at the people around him. Apparently they had underestimated the number of tourists that would be coming to see the sunrise, but they manage to find a quiet place for themselves. <br/>
<br/>
Lou Ellen is talking to Cecil about something funny. Cecil seems to be focusing on Lou more than her words, which somehow goes unnoticed by her. And Nico's watching at the sun, taking it in as if it's his first time. When Nico catches Will looking at him, he smiles brighter than the sun. <br/>
<br/>
Maybe it's not the sunrise itself that makes it the most beautiful, but the people he chooses to share the sunrise with. <br/>
<br/>
... <br/>
<br/>
"Did you know, in Nepalese, 'Nico' roughly translates into 'to heal'?" Will for the life of him can't figure out what prompted him to say it. <br/>
<br/>
"Okay?"<br/>
<br/>
"Well, it's more like 'to recuperate'. <br/>
<br/>
"... "<br/>
<br/>
"And it's more like Niko, but same pronunciation." <br/>
<br/>
"..." <br/>
<br/>
"And there's a paracetamol of the same name."  <em>Okay he can't blame Nico on that one.</em> <br/>
<br/>
"???" <br/>
<br/>
"You have your own brand of paracetamol, Nico. Or should I say, Niko." <em>Stop talking. </em><br/>
<br/>
"Hmph." <br/>
<br/>
"Right. Um, I'll stop talking." <em>Finally</em>. <br/>
<br/>
Nico snorts. <br/>
<br/>
Deciding that he's currently mad at Nico, he also decides that his stupid snort isn't the cutest thing ever.<br/>
<br/>
"Real smooth, Sunny boy." Lou mutters so that only he and Cecil can hear. Cecil snickers so loudly that he's sure Nico can hear it too. <br/>
<br/>
"Shut up." <br/>
<br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
The ninth day of their trek was supposed to be their last, but Will doesn't want it to end, so he decides to stay longer and extend the trek up to ABC. <em>Oh</em>, <em>Nico's going the same way too? Weird, what a coincidence. </em><br/>
<br/>
Lou and Cecil don't want to stay though, and they follow their original plans. Will sends his love to the kids he misses more than anything. <br/>
<br/>
"Oh don't worry about them, Will. We'll just tell the kids that he's found someone he loves more than you guys," Lou whispers into his ear as she hugs him. <br/>
<br/>
Will acts like he doesn't care, but he really hopes Lou won't tell them that. He misses them a lot, but this is something that's too good to pass. Maybe he'll have to buy a larger box of chocolates for them. <br/>
<br/>
Nico and Will continue with their trek through the forests and make random conversations along the way. Will tells him about how he's never really visited that many tourist areas here. <br/>
<br/>
"You could be admiring this view every day if you wanted, and yet you choose to stay at one place?" Nico asks as they find a rock large enough to fit them and sit there for a break. <br/>
<br/>
"The keyword is choose, di Angelo." <br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, I can understand that." <br/>
<br/>
"What about you, Adventure man? What prompted you to be a lone traveller?" <br/>
<br/>
"It was because of my sister. When we were kids, she would read to me a lot, and I used to think she was the smartest person in the whole world. When you're a kid and someone tells you random trivia at odd times, you think they know everything." Nico's eyes are a little nostalgic, like he's picturing a time that passed several years ago. <br/>
<br/>
"And she would tell me about all these places. She would make it so interesting and fun, and all I could think about was that there was so much in the world to see," Nico takes a gulp of water from the bottle and passes it to Will, "That's when I took up travelling. There's a whole new world out there, Will. And I want to live in as many as I can." <br/>
<br/>
Will can relate to that, albeit not in the way Nico does. What Nico had said just now had been his entire thought process he had to come to Nepal. <em>There are so many people who need help. Who's going to help them if we don't? </em><br/>
<br/>
His family and friends had understood his need to help people, but hadn't been enthusiastic about his decision. <em>You can help people by being a doctor as well, Will. No need to build your life in another continent for that. </em>But Lou and Cecil had. They always did. <br/>
<br/>
After being here for three years, he has had no regrets. He couldn't imagine doing anything else, at least for now. <br/>
<br/>
Realizing he hasn't said anything for a while, he speaks, "She sounds like a wonderful person, Nico. She's still in New York then?" <br/>
<br/>
"That," Nico stretches his hand out to Will as he begins to get up. Will takes it. "Is a story for some other day. Now come on, we have rested enough." <br/>
<br/>
"Five minutes more, please?" <br/>
<br/>
"Will, we need to get moving if we want to reach in time." <br/>
<br/>
"Please?" <br/>
<br/>
"Uhh fine. I'm going to blame you if we're late." <br/>
<br/>
Nico sits by Will again resuming their previous conversation. Neither mentions or acknowledges their hands still linked to each other. <br/>
<br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
It's the eighth day since he's met Nico here, and he knows he's fallen in love with the man. <br/>
<br/>
Objectively, eight days isn't a long time to fall in love with someone, but Will's had a decade's worth of head start. Every day, every moment they spend, Will is reminded of why he had a crush on Nico in the first place. <br/>
<br/>
But this isn't a measly teenager crush. This is something much, much bigger, and it terrifies him to no end. <br/>
<br/>
They're on their way to their guest house now. Will doesn't know what made Nico want to talk about his sister, but he's gald that he did. <br/>
<br/>
"I was 12 when she died. Got in a car accident while Percy was driving. I blamed everyone around me— Bianca for leaving me, Percy for letting her die, my dad for not caring enough. And myself, for not dying instead of her." <br/>
<br/>
"I used to be so angry, Will. Every minute of my life, and for no reason." Nico's voice sounds so broken, and Will wants to hold him, take his sorrow so far away from him that it would never make its way back. But he doesn't, because Nico needs to do it himself. <br/>
<br/>
"I pushed people away and then blamed them for giving up on me. I thought I didn't need anyone else, and that's why I ran away. I packed a bag and ran away, travelling here and there thinking it was something I had to do, to honour Bianca's memory. And I kept denying that I was doing this for my selfish reasons."<br/>
<br/>
"I thought I was being closer to nature, you know," his laughter is hollow and bitter, "Away from the materialistic world, from the society and relations and bonds and shackles. I thought I was free. And somehow better than all these people who ran after one thing and another, who spent years building relations and broke them like they were nothing."<br/>
<br/>
"But there's one thing I learnt in my travels, that it doesn't work that way. You can't romanticize nature. Nature is beautiful and giving, but it's also ugly and fierce. You can be one with nature but you can't use it to hide from yourself. She does not like being needlessly used, you can't tame her." <br/>
<br/>
Nico holds himself close and makes himself small, takes a deep breath, and continues. <br/>
<br/>
"And that's why I returned— I was so tired of running away. I realized that I didn't have to choose one or the other— I could have both. You know what the best part was?" Will raises a questioning brow. "Getting my friends and families back after I was so sure I'd pushed their limit too far. I couldn't ask for more." <br/>
<br/>
"Your sister would be proud of you, you're honouring her memories in the best way possible." Will's voice is a little foreign to himself. <br/>
<br/>
With that, the dam finally seems to break, and Nico almost slumps down like a broken doll, but Will is there to catch him. Nico seems to have gained strength to put his arms around Will and hold him close. Will makes soothing circles into Nico's hair.<br/>
<br/>
"You know, I'm glad we lost contact and didn't meet until now. I'd probably have pushed you away back then," Nico's voice is muffled from the many layers of jackets that Will is wearing, but it's clear enough to hold on to every word. <br/>
<br/>
"I wouldn't have given up on you either, you know that." Will has never said anything so confidently. <br/>
<br/>
"I know you wouldn't have," his words hold so much affection and care that it breaks Will's heart a little. "But it wouldn't have been fair to you. I couldn't live with the knowledge that I hurt you." <br/>
 <br/>
The night is so perfect, so intangible that Will has to remind himself not to breathe too loud in fear of breaking the moment. </p>
<hr/><p><br/>
<br/>
"Do you ever miss your life in America?" Nico asks him that night. <br/>
<br/>
"I do. It's not just the life, but my family and friends, everyone." <br/>
<br/>
"Do you think you'll go back there again?" <br/>
<br/>
"That's the plan, yeah. But I think I'll miss here too much if I go back." <br/>
<br/>
Nico hums in acknowledgement, but says nothing. <br/>
<br/>
"Don't you ever feel like, you miss a place like crazy and want nothing more than to back, but then you're scared you'll miss where you are right now?" Will continues.</p><p>Nico doesn't speak for some time, and when he does, it's like a soft melody of a flute. <br/>
<br/>
"You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart always will be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place."</p><p>"It's a quote by Miriam Adeney. That's exactly how it is, isn't it?" He continues. <br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, it is. How do you deal with it Nico? How do you keep fighting the instinct to be at more than one place at the same time?" <br/>
<br/>
"The trick us not to fight it, but to accept it. Accept the fact that your heart will never be completely at home again." <br/>
<br/>
"Isn't that a little depressing?" <br/>
<br/>
"It's not as bad as it sounds, really. It means that you can have as many homes as you want, and each one is as special as the next one." Nico leans in a little. "One can never have enough places to feel like home, can they?" <br/>
<br/>
He can't see Nico's expression but he's sure there's a small smile gracing his lips. "No, they can't." <br/>
<br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
The day before they are set to reach ABC, Will finally realizes why he had been born in this world. <br/>
<br/>
<em>Okay, he really needs to stop exaggerating. </em><br/>
<br/>
The day had been an eventful one, and they had spent the whole day trekking and exploring the conservation area. Will has finally managed to match Nico's pace while walking uphill, and he's super proud of it. <br/>
<br/>
He'd be even prouder if he didn't have to literally feel his heartbeat in his thigh muscles and calves. <br/>
<br/>
The only room available in the guest house they'd decided on staying had a double bed, a subject that neither Nico nor he have wanted to breach. <em>Should they be talking about it? <br/>
</em><br/>
Well, they haven't, and currently they are at each corner of the bed with them facing away from each other. Will remembers something and turns the other side to talk to Nico. Nico is already facing him, and their eyes meet. <br/>
<br/>
If Will leans just a few centimeters, he could be kissing Nico di Angelo. Said Nico di Angelo looks at him with an expression he's never seen in his face before, and leans in without a word. <br/>
<br/>
Their first kiss lasts for two seconds.<br/>
<br/>
It's a mere press of lips. It's soft and sweet, everything you expect from a first kiss with someone you love. <br/>
<br/>
But it's also short, and ends before it can turn into something more. <br/>
<br/>
So they reach for another kiss, this time lasting an eternity to make up for the brief first kiss. At some point Nico comes impossibly closer and cups his face with his hands— his cold, freezing hands—<br/>
<br/>
"Hey!" Will breaks the kiss on instinct and puts some distance between them. Somehow, Nico doesn't seem to take offence to that and instead starts laughing. <br/>
<br/>
"Okay, sorry. Sorry," Nico says after laughing for a minute straight. Will tries not to pout, and while he loves Nico's laugh, he'd much rather go back to kissing. But the moment is already gone. <br/>
<br/>
Not really. <br/>
<br/>
This time Will's the one who cups Nico's face and leans into the kiss. Much like the second kiss, it's heartbreakingly sweet, the kind that makes Will feel too many emotions at once. <br/>
<br/>
And that's how they spend the rest of the night; trading sweet whispers of love without needing words, pressing lazy kisses on their lips, their cheeks, foreheads, until sleep overcomes them and the morning finds them tangled as one body. </p>
<hr/><p> <br/>
"Hey, Will?" <br/>
<br/>
"Hmm." <br/>
<br/>
"I think I'm falling in love. What do I do?" <br/>
<br/>
"Do you want to stop and go back?" <br/>
<br/>
"No." <br/>
<br/>
"Then you keep falling, that's the only way you rise." <br/>
<br/>
"Keep falling, huh. Yeah, I can do that." </p>
<hr/><p><br/>
After 14 days of leaving for the trip and 11 days of meeting Nico, they finally reach their destination. <br/>
<br/>
Well, Nico reaches his destination. Will had reached his some days ago and everything that happened from there feels like an extra blessing that the Gods have bestowed upon him. <br/>
<br/>
As they reach the base camp, Will is hyper aware of his surroundings. A radio nearby is broadcasting old songs, a large tourist group is taking pictures and capturing the moment forever, the way Nico's hands never leave Will's even if he can't feel them due to the thick gloves. <br/>
<br/>
When Nico's eyes meet his, he thinks the happiness he sees in Nico's eyes is going to move him to tears of joy. <br/>
<br/>
As if on cue, a new song plays on the radio. <br/>
<br/>
<em>Timle ta hoina, timra bhakaharu le,<br/>
Mero mutu choi sakechan,<br/>
Maile pani haina, mera aankha haru le,<br/>
Timro lagi roi sakechan<br/>
</em><br/>
"This is one of my favourite songs," Will says. <br/>
<br/>
"Yeah? What does it say?" <br/>
<br/>
<em>It isn't you but your music, that has touched my heart. <br/>
It isn't me either, but my eyes, that have cried for you. </em><br/>
<br/>
"I swear it sounds better in Nepali," Will adds. <br/>
<br/>
"It's beautiful," Nico smiles only a little, but it means the world to Will, and in that moment he swears he's found another reason to love the song. <br/>
<br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
It is his last day in Annapurna Base Camp, and he wishes he didn't have to go home. <br/>
<br/>
From here on, he's going back to his life, the village where he works with the kids. And Nico's going to be further away from him. Every day from today, Nico's going to be further and further away from him. <br/>
<br/>
<em>I had a really great time with you</em>, he wants to say, but it feels inadequate. <em>The last ten days have been one of the best of my life</em>, he almost says, but even that feels like an understatement. <br/>
<br/>
<em>I'm going to miss you so damn much, </em>he wants to say, but that's obvious. <em>Are you going to miss me</em>, he wants to ask, but he doesn't have to— it's already written in the way Nico looks at him. <br/>
<br/>
"Do you—  when I go back, will you consider visiting me? In the SOS village, I mean." <br/>
<br/>
He swears Nico's face brightens a little more as he pretends to think. <br/>
<br/>
"Well I <em>do</em> want to meet the children you talk about with such love, so I guess I'll <em>have</em> to put up with your stupid face again."<br/>
<br/>
Will shouldn't be swooning when someone calls his face stupid. He has a very nice face, thank you very much. <br/>
<br/>
Nico leans in to give him a final kiss before they descend, and somehow it doesn't feel like a goodbye, but a promise. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Translation-<br/>Didi- Sister (also used for a female older than you) </p><p>This story gave me so many feels because I was simultaneously projecting myself into Will, Nico, and Bianca the whole time.</p><p>It may feel a bit rushed, because I had so many things to add but didn't want to make it too long. </p><p>And I was almost literally bursting with ideas and possibilities while writing this, and I feel like there's so much more to write. I'm thinking of a sequel or lengthening the story.</p><p>Do give me some feedback. Hope you enjoyed it.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I don't usually write (or read) romance so it isn't my strong suit, but I'm going to try anyway.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>